Overview

Leadership in American Academic Geography: The Twentieth Century examines the practice of leadership in the most influential geography departments in the United States. Throughout the twentieth century, transformational leaders often emerged as inspirational department chairs, shaping the content and nature of the discipline and establishing models of leadership, often fueling the success of programs and sparking shifts in paradigms. Yet, on occasion, departmental chairmanships fell to individuals marked by laissez faire attributes, lapses in integrity, or autocratic behaviors, which at times led to disaster. Effective leaders within key academic departments played imperative roles in the discipline’s prosperity, and in contrast, mediocrity in leadership contributed to periods of austerity. Michael S. DeVivo aims to offer not only a historical perspective on the geographic discipline, but also insight to leaders in geography, today and in the future, so that they might be able to avoid failure and instead develop strategies for success by recognizing effective leadership behaviors that foster high levels of achievement.

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9780739199121

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Viewed through the lens of James McGregor Burns' concepts of transformational and transactional leadership models, DeVivo details how transformational leaders made the difference in top-tier American geography doctoral departments. Here we have a vivid page-turner for anyone interested in geographical thought and practice in the United States, and the consequences of individualism and group dynamics flowing from leadership in the doctoral departments that dominated the discipline during the past century. -- John S. Adams, University of Minnesota In a century of 'eclectic pluralism' in geography, many top-ranked departments had transformational chairs who promoted and instilled harmony and excellence. Reading these uneven and sometimes fragmented departmental histories helps us understand how strong and unselfish chairs advanced geography. Missing are the untold success stories of departmental leadership that introduced social theory, gender studies, climate change, and sustainability-all recent innovations advancing geography and related disciplines on various fronts. This must-read for those interested in fifteen departmental histories from Harvard to Santa Barbara provides 'recipes' for both success and failure. -- Stanley D. Brunn, University of Kentucky

While DeVivo provides a solid investigation of the history of geography programs, his analysis of academic leadership is what makes this book unique.... The book is a lively read.... The readability of this book makes it readily accessible to both undergraduate and graduate students in geography. I think it crucial that geography students be aware of the history of our discipline. This book is a mixture of excellent research and intriguing stories that provide a treatise that explains not only paradigm shifts in the discipline but also uncovers the leadership at the center of these shifts. The book also is valuable for current or aspiring department chairs. Not only does it provide a historical reference to past administrative practices, but the inclusion of the transformative model of leadership could provide a model of practice for those department chairs who seek to move programs forward within a supportive and inclusive environment. Leadership in American Academic Geography: The Twentieth Century provides the scholar of geographic thought an insightful testament to our discipline’s past. I hope the author has subsequent plans for additional books. * Historical Geography * The book tackles an important issue in the discipline’s history, to which very little structured attention has yet been given. * Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography * Viewed through the lens of James McGregor Burns’ concepts of transformational and transactional leadership models, DeVivo details how transformational leaders made the difference in top-tier American geography doctoral departments. Here we have a vivid page-turner for anyone interested in geographical thought and practice in the United States, and the consequences of individualism and group dynamics flowing from leadership in the doctoral departments that dominated the discipline during the past century. -- John S. Adams, University of Minnesota This groundbreaking study of select geographers and their departments offers a treasure trove of anecdotes and insights into the inner workings of a discipline in formation. The author spares neither rod nor accolade in making his revealing assessments. Drawing on personal conversations, filmed interviews, archival materials, and general lore, DeVivo judiciously brings to life actors and episodes central to American academic geography’s history in its first century. -- Kent Mathewson, Louisiana State University

Viewed through the lens of James McGregor Burns' concepts of transformational and transactional leadership models, DeVivo details how transformational leaders made the difference in top-tier American geography doctoral departments. Here we have a vivid page-turner for anyone interested in geographical thought and practice in the United States, and the consequences of individualism and group dynamics flowing from leadership in the doctoral departments that dominated the discipline during the past century. -- John S. Adams, University of Minnesota In a century of 'eclectic pluralism' in geography, many top-ranked departments had transformational chairs who promoted and instilled harmony and excellence. Reading these uneven and sometimes fragmented departmental histories helps us understand how strong and unselfish chairs advanced geography. Missing are the untold success stories of departmental leadership that introduced social theory, gender studies, climate change, and sustainability-all recent innovations advancing geography and related disciplines on various fronts. This must-read for those interested in fifteen departmental histories from Harvard to Santa Barbara provides 'recipes' for both success and failure. -- Stanley D. Brunn, University of Kentucky This groundbreaking study of select geographers and their departments offers a treasure trove of anecdotes and insights into the inner workings of a discipline in formation. The author spares neither rod nor accolade in making his revealing assessments. Drawing on personal conversations, filmed interviews, archival materials, and general lore, DeVivo judiciously brings to life actors and episodes central to American academic geography's history in its first century. -- Kent Mathewson, Louisiana State University

In a century of 'eclectic pluralism' in geography, many top-ranked departments had transformational chairs who promoted and instilled harmony and excellence. Reading these uneven and sometimes fragmented departmental histories helps us understand how strong and unselfish chairs advanced geography. Missing are the untold success stories of departmental leadership that introduced social theory, gender studies, climate change, and sustainability-all recent innovations advancing geography and related disciplines on various fronts. This must-read for those interested in fifteen departmental histories from Harvard to Santa Barbara provides 'recipes' for both success and failure. -- Stanley D. Brunn, University of Kentucky

Author Information

Michael S. DeVivo is professor of geography at Grand Rapids Community College.

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